Domestic Adoption

The majority of the children awaiting adoption are not simply sitting in institutions with little human contact and no sense of family. Most children waiting to be adopted are in foster care. Foster care provides temporary placement in a family setting. "Over 500,000 children in the U.S. currently reside in some form of foster care" (Foster). This is not to say that there are over 500,000 children waiting for adoptive parents. Actually, the number needing to be adopted ends up being much lower. "Two out of three children who enter foster care are reunited with their birth parents within two years. A significant number, however, can spend long periods of time in care awaiting adoption or other permanent arrangement" (Foster).

Some people believe that the price of adoption should not be lowered. They believe that with all the costs it helps keep the bad people from getting ahold of the children. The authorities need to make sure people will be good parents and would not be abusive or not able to provide for the child (WIASE?). This shows that the authorities are taking extra precaution with who they allow adopt a child. Also, the cost goes towards many court fees to make sure that child becomes fully and legally your child and it gives you a peace of mind (WIASE?). This shows that when you pay all that money you are paying so many different places, so that you know in the end that child is fully your child.

Should adopting a child be free? As a first response, many people would answer “Yes, adoption should be free,” arguing that there should not be a price tag on children, or that adoption is unreasonably expensive. Others may argue that “No, it should not be free,” because it may unknowingly put the adoptees at risk for danger, while the children are easily accessible. Adoptions were created to give children, whose biological parents could not care for them, a new and affectionate home, and for couples who wanted children, but could not have them biologically because of health reasons. Today, many people adopt children to add on to their family. With adoption being free, many “unfit” people would qualify to be

When a couple or individual decides to adopt a child, they know they are going to take on the responsibility of taking care of someone else’s child. Due to the biological parent(s) who can’t take care of that child anymore, because of either drug abuse, alcohol abuse, abuse to the child or if the parent(s) had died and there is no other care for the child. So that’s why this gives other couples who cannot have kids, the opportunity to promise themselves to be a great parent to a child in need. Though there are some bad things about adoption as well. Like adopting a child from another country of another race, because once that child is adopted into an American family, he or she will be cut off from their culture and never know about their

Consequently, the total costs of adoption alone sum up to roughly 15,800 dollars (Horin). Most parents don't have that money lying around because they have other children or a career they invest a lot in. In addition, they might not have money at all but know that the children need help and decide to make a difference. The government realized the problem, why many parents are not adopting is because it’s very expensive. Therefore, in order to promote adoption the government provided the adoptive parents a tax credit to help with their financial shortages. For parents adopting domestically, they would be able to claim a credit worth up to 11,700 dollars. The positive part of the credit is that within the same year of the adoption, parents can claim it (Block). Although it may take a chunk of the total cost off, parents would still have to pay 5,000 to 15,000 dollars that still remains of the whole cost. The costs should be lowered to more affordable amounts so the tax deduction would be more effective. Even though the tax credit

4). In the scope of adoption, it is evident that child welfare agencies use the majority of their available resources for placing children in foster families, investigating child-abuse cases, and providing other family services. “As a consequence, they do not possess adequate additional resources for efficiently placing children in adoptive homes once they are available for adoption, depriving many children of the benefits a stable, permanent home provides” (Snell, 2000, p. 2). The current government operated child welfare system is detrimental to the children involved due to its inability to ensure their safety and

Within the United States adoption has been evolved markedly, once it was used to “normalize “ a childless marriage (The Free Dictionary, n.d.) or prevent the shame of an adoptee at their “illegitimate” birth or an unwed mother social staning (Fair, 2008) now the primary focus rather is the child’s best interests, a better life. Adoption is a long-standing social behavior that involves a person other than the biological or legal parents of an individual assuming a parenting role in a permanent fashion in the eyes of the law (Health of children, n.d.; The Free Dictionary, n.d.). Through the declaration of legal paperwork a non-biological parent can adopt a child into their home. It must be acknowledged that there are less formal ways

In today's society, the idea of adoption is an open and welcome one. “When an adoptive family begins to explore the idea of adopting a child, it is easy for them to quickly become overwhelmed with information, questions and decisions” (American Adoptions, Inc). However, one of the biggest problem most adoptive parents could run into is whether they are wanting to adopt domestically or internationally. With the number of celebrities’ advertising the ease of adopting internationally and the publicizing conditions the orphans live in it makes American families want to adopt internationally. The number of children in the United States in foster care approved for adoption and the number of newborns born unwanted does not make the news so it domestic adoption is not as glamorous. Domestic adoption should be the first choice to help improve our country and give the children born in the United States a chance at a family.

So why is it that these children are not getting adopted? While adoption requirements can vary by state, most states have the same basic requirements in place. First, a person looking to adopt must fill out an adoption application and pay an application fee. These applications are then reviewed by a local adoption agency or government agency. These applications can get quite personal and typically ask for personal information about the applicant 's work history, family history, medical history, religious affiliations, current home life situation, and financial information to name a few. Oftentimes the applicant will also have to attend some form of training class along with the application. If the application is approved it is then turned over to an adoption case worker who will contact the applicant about conducting a home study. During the home study, the case worker will interview the applicant, as well as their family, friends, and possibly co-workers. The case worker will make an assessment of the potential parents daily life and routines, neighborhood, relationships, and readiness to become a parent. These home studies are quite invasive and can take three to six months to complete. After this step is passed the applicant gets registered and placed on a waiting list to be paired with a child that the agency feels would be a good fit. It can take a year or more from application to actual placement. If the prospective parents are lucky enough to be matched with a child

Approximately five million Americans alive today are adoptees. Having the opportunity to adopt has given many families the chance to have a family on their own that they may not have been able to have before. Although it benefits the parents who are adopting it also helps the birth mother tremendously. There are several ways to adopt. Parents who want to adopt should choose the best option for them while birth mothers should be more educated so they can be sure to make the best decision for herself and her child.

Adoption is a beautiful system that allows for families to raise a child that could have otherwise been in bad situations. These children are taken in by a family and are given a fresh start. Children can be adopted from birth until they are eighteen years old, but thousands of these children in need are not given the opportunity of adoption because of the extravagant cost. An adoption ranges anywhere from $6,000 to $50,000 and because of this Adopt Together says, “Cost is the number one reason families don’t adopt.” There is a long list of fees that rack up the price that include legal fees, home studies, agency cost, and many more. The extravagant cost of adoption can and should be lowered in order that more families can provide a loving home to children in need.

The necessity of adoption in the world is astounding. Currently, there is an estimated 143 million orphans worldwide (Wingert, vol.151). As of 2007, there were 513,000 children living in foster care within the United States alone (Rousseau 21:14). International adoption in the United States was jumpstarted post World War II as a way of helping those children who were left homeless, after war had taken their parents. Although there are thousands of healthy children awaiting adoption in the United States, several American couples still turn to foreign adoption when seeking potential children. Americans often fail to realize the need for intervention within their own country and their duty to take care of domestic affairs before venturing to

When the average American citizen today thinks about the concept of adoption, what images are typically the first that come to mind? Although different people are sure to have equally as different experiences in this field, one picture continues to remain the most commonly-accepted. This image consists of a man and a woman who cannot have children of their own, a newborn baby, and a single mother who will certainly be unable to provide for the infant due to her young age, lack of financial support, or another variety of unfortunate circumstances. Making the decision to adopt a child is without a doubt one of the best options available for couples who are unable to conceive, but by thinking of adoption as nothing more than the fallback

Moreover, there is a strategic interview and background check on those who wish to adopt. We do not let just anyone adopt a child, nor do we go without checking up on his or her history to predict the likelihood of that person being a good candidate for a parent. There are forms to be filled out, house inspection, and an overview of their income to make sure they are suitable to take in and care for this child. According to a study published by the Child Welfare League of America, despite

     Adoption is metamorphosing into a radical new process that is both sweeping the nation and changing it. But this process is not an easy one, there are many steps to go through. Through research it is made a lot easier. Adoption is a also a highly visible example of a social institution that has benefits from and been reshaped by both the Internet and the exponential growth of alternative lifestyles, from single to transracial to gay. It is accelerating our transformation into a more multicultural society; even as it helps redefine out understanding of “family.” The process includes three main steps including a type of adoption, the techniques for location a baby for adoption, arranging